[ExI] Am I the only one freaked out by this?

[Tara Maya]

I’ve been reading Peter Turchin’s work, including Ages of Discord. His semi-Malthusian theory predicts that pretexts will be found for fighting a civil war, or something like it, when the conditions are right. The issues are only the the flame that ignites the flammable material provided by demographic and economic conditions. I find it a fairly persuasive theory. Is anyone familiar with it?

Tara


> On Jan 25, 2017, at 9:16 AM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
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> From: extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org <mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org>] On Behalf Of Will Steinberg
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> >…I think this civil war was going to happen regardless of who got into power.  The people who hate the left are the ones with the guns right now! … Will
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> Will, I disagree sir.  
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> Regarding gun rights, a civil war in the US cannot break out over that issue: one side has too big an advantage.  Thanks second amendment. 
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> In the US civil war of the 19th century, there was a major issue around which the people could choose sides: slavery.  One major party wanted to keep it, the other wanted it banned.  What do we have now analogous to that?  Nothing.  Our current culture war has not even a single clear issue on which people split left and right.  Can you think of one?  Looking at how acrimonious was our last major election, can you see any major issue in which the candidates differed significantly?  Neither can I.  Is not this a paradox?  These two candidates were mostly on the same page as far as I could tell.
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> The best I can do is free trade and open immigration, neither of which would form a logical basis for a civil war.  It strains the imagination to think anyone would be willing to take up arms against countrymen in order to allow unchecked immigration or buy foreign manufactured goods cheaply.  Anything else?
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> spike

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